Steam Greenlight now includes non-gaming software

This morning Valve Software revealed the latest list of titles added to its nascent Steam Greenlight service. That happens almost every week now, so why highlight this particular occurence? Simple: With today’s update, Steam Greenlight now features both video games and the kinds of programs people might use to create those games.

But wait just a second, what is Steam Greenlight? To put it simply, Greenlight is a service through which Valve Software offers its legions of Steam users a chance to decide which programs will be available through Steam via a relatively standard democratic voting process. Imagine Greenlight as a low-key reality television competition in which the creators of prospective Steam programs attempt to put their best feet forward with the hopes that the audience (in this case, Steam users) will decide that their offering is worthy of inclusion on the world’s most popular gaming-centric software distribution platform. As we said, it’s very low-key, even compared to the most reserved, classy television shows, so while you won’t see developers battling it out in physical challenges while coated in a layer of pig fat and downy chicken feathers, you will see full disclosure of what these programs can do for you, as well as informed users piling on to convince other Steam fans of why they should or should not support a given piece of software.

As for today’s new round of Greenlight offerings, Valve offers a comprehensive list:

While mere titles don’t tell us nearly enough to judge these various software packages, Steam Greenlight has more comprehensive profiles of each of these titles on its official site. Actually, that site is a pretty invaluable resource for anyone looking for new, interesting ideas. Not only does Greenlight offer extensive information on each new game and program added to its roster, it also lays things out in a familiar, Kickstarter-esque fashion, making it quite easy to select your favorite new addition and throw the weight of your support behind it.

Having announced these new titles, Valve also made mention of a few Greenlight stats of which it seems particularly proud. This latest batch of games and productivity software brings the total number of titles on Greenlight to a very respectable 50. Given that Greenlight only launched in August of this year, that’s a pretty impressive milestone to have already reached. Further, Valve claims that the advent of Greenlight has spawned a massive uptick in overall Steam sales, which is particularly noticeable among indie games that would otherwise escape the attention of most players.

“With the help of Greenlight, the indie games market share of games sold on Steam has increased by 50 percent for a third consecutive year,” said Valve’s Alden Kroll, a UI designer who has also had an extensive hand in the development of both the Steam store as well as Steam Greenlight. “That’s a stat we are proud of, but one we also hope to increase as we learn more about Greenlight and continue to refine it in the new year.”